Fence-machine



(No Model. v 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.- V

C. 'SKINNER.

Y FENCE MACHINE.

No. 420,113. a 'PatentedJan; 28, 1890.

N. PETERS Phalo-Lflhugmpher, Wuhmginn. D. I;

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet a.

O. SKINNER.

FENCE MAGHINE.

No. 420,113. Patented Jan.28, 1890.

Ill-INN miaea O. INNER.

PE MACHINE. v

Patented 118111.28, 1890.

. m In 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

COURTLAND SKINNER, OF SPENCER, IOWA.

FENCE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,113, dated January28, 1890.

Application filed June 4, 1887. Serial No. 240,281. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, COURTLAND SKINNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Spencer, in the county of Clay and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new. and useful Improvements in FenceWIachines, ofwhich the following is a specification, to wit:

This invention relates to an improvement in machines for making\vireancl-paling fence; and it consists in certain peculiarities of theconstruction and arrangement of the same, substantially as will behereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In order to enable others skilledin the art to which my inventionpertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to view of the machine, looking inthe opposite direction and showing the reverse sides of the twisters andtheir connections. Fig. 5 is a plan view, and Fig. 6 a cross-section, ofone of the twisting-disks and the slat-supporting table, &c. Fig. 7 is adetail section of the lower end of the feeding-table. Fig.8 is alongitudinal section of the machine, showing the wire-reels and thefence-reel. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail section of the cutter, one ofthe forming-dies, and the supporting-table used with the metal pickets.Fig. 10 is a bottom plan View of the cutter for severing the lengths ofpickets. Fig. 11 shows both an edge and a face view of the metal picketas it is made and used in the fence. Fig. 12 is a face view of thegrooved disk which operates the feeding devices, showing the automaticgates which are used at the crossing of the grooves; and Fig. 13 isaview of the same without the gates and with an elongated tongue or dogfor following them.

I have in view in this machine a construction which will not onlyaccurately and automatically feed the pickets, twist the wire upon them,and reel off the completed fence, but which will also be equally adaptedwithout alteration to the use of either wood or metal pickets, and inthe latter case to so form the picket while under operation as toobviate any danger of its slipping out of place when in use upon thefence; and to this end my machine is constructed as follows:

arepresents the main frame, of the machine, which I form of any suitablematerial and in any suitable size and shape for the work to beperformed.

Suitably 'journaled in a mechanical and proper manner at one end oftheframe is a main driving-shaft a, provided with a driving-pulley ta orequivalent device, by which power is applied to operate the machine. Onthis shaft is also a bevel-gear b, inter-meshing with a similar gear bon a short shaft 12 journaled in the main frame at right angles to themain shaft, and provided also with a belt pulley b on its inner end,connected by a belt I)" with a similar pulley upon a square shaft brunning across the machine and journaled at its opposite end in a hingedpart a of the main frame. This hinged portion of the frame is held inposition by a hook or latch a, and is swung out at any time to releasethe end of this shaft and permit the withdrawal of the spool a thereon,on which the completed fence is reeled as fast as it is formed in themachine. This spool is of proper length to accommodate the fence, and ateach end there is a head a, secured upon the shaft and formed with asocket a to receive and hold the ends of the first picket and insure theproper winding of the fence. The belt I), by which this shaft and spoolare operated, is made sufficiently loose to slip when all of thecompleted fence has been reeled up, and thus allow for theconstantlyincreasing size of the roll, which would ordinarily wind thefence in more and more rapidly if the connections between thereelingessary oscillations to said twisters to twist '(shown in Fig.12,) and at the junction of the ing formed through them the wire-leads 0two in each cylinder. I prefer to make these as in Figs. 5 and 6, withthe wire-leads close together at their inner ends and spread apart attheir outer ends, in order that the motion of these twisters in onedirection and then back again shall give but a light twist to the. wireupon the side next the spools from which it is drawn; but upon theopposite side shall not only hold the two wires apart to fa cilitate thefeeding of the picket, but will afterward form a tight twist of the wireupon this picket in a manner readily understood."

The outer ends of these'twisters are each 1 formed or provided withteeth or cogs c to form a gear-pinion, that is engaged by a cogged rackc sliding reciprocally in a suit-' able guide-groove of the main frame,and which in its movements imparts the necthe wire in one direction infront of one picket and back again in front of the next picket. This,cogged rack is provided with a depending arm 0 (seen in Figs. 3 and 4,)which is connected to a lever-arm cl, hinged upon the base of the mainframe and connected by a rod (1' with a lever (1 also fulcrumed on themain frame, and it will be noticed that the connection of this rod withboth levers is by slots and set-bolts, so that an adjustment is readilyhad to control the throw of the lever-arm d, and with it the motionimparted to the rack-bar and twisting cylinders, thus easily regulatingthe nu mber of times the wires are twisted to suit the operator or thenecessities of the particular fence in process of manufacture.

By referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, itwill be seen that upon the end of the main driving-shaft a, I havesecured a large disk 6, in one face of which is formed a cam-groove e,consisting of two concentrically-curved parts, one with in the other,joined by two inclined port-ions crossing each other, as shown. Thisdouble cam-groove is used to operate the lever d and through it, atproper intervals, the twisters, as will be readily seen, and the leveris often provided with a pivoted dog (Z of oval form, as in Fig. 13,which will readily follow in the groove as the disk revolves. I prefer,however, in place of this dog to provide the lever with a simple anti-friction roller (Z cam-grooves in the disk to provide a pair ofspring-actuated hinged gates I 6 which lie normally one across each ofthe grooves, as shown in said figure. It will be readily seen from thisthat as the disk revolves the roller approaches the crossing in thedirection indicated by the arrow and presses aside the gate lying acrossits path, so that it, in connection with the other gate in its normalposition, forms a continuation of the cam-groove, and the first gatesprings back to place after the passage of the roller. This latter,passing around, repeats the operation with the other gate, and it willbe at once understood that the roller is always given an unbroken guidegroove or path, and all possibility'of catching at the crossing of thecam-groove is obviated. I prefer this construction for this reason, asalso the roller gives less friction than the sliding dog. The levers andall their connected mechanism are held stationary by theconcentrically-curved parts of thecam-grooves during the feeding of thepickets,and a rapid inotion in opposite directions is given to thelevers and twisters at proper intervals to form the twist.

The pickets used are either of wood or metal, as desired by the user,and this machine is adapted to the use of either. When wooden picketsare used, they are laid upon an inclined table f, situated at one sideof the main frame and which may be arranged either as a permanent ordetachable part of the same. This table is provided with two rollers f,one at the upper and one at the lower end of the same, and over theserollers run a pair of belts f, the upper parts of which run down overthe face of the table and serve to feed. down the pickets which are laidupon them. A guard f supported above these belts, serves to prevent thepickets from piling one upon the other, but retains them in a singlelayer, so that their feed one at a time is insured. At the lower end ofthe table is a horizontal portion f upon which the picketss are fed, andalong its edge is a ledge f which serves not only as a stop againstwhich the pickets lodge, but also as a guide, upon which slides a blockf, as in Figs. 3 and 4, carrying a spring-actuated pawl f which slidesback freely over the picket and drops in behind it to carry it forwardor feed it into the machine on the reverse motion. To this block isconnected one end of a long rod g,the-other end of which is connected toa lever g,-fulcrumed on the main frame, and connected by a link g with awrist-pin on the cam-groove disk of the main shaft, and it will be seenat once that this arrangement imparts the necessary reciprocation to theblock and its pawl to feed the pickets in proper time. These pickets arefed in upon a supporting table or beam formed on or attached to the mainframe, as at h, in front of the twisters, and as in Figs. 5, 6,'and 8,as well as in the main Views, it will be seen that I provide a series ofarms h, secured upon a transverse rock-shaft 71- These arms are forkedat their upper ends, and lie normally in recesses of thesupporting-table in such position that the pickets are fed into orbetween the ends of the fork. At the proper time after the wire has beentwisted upon the picket this rock-shaft is operated to cause the forkedarms to move the picket forward to give room for a new picket, and drawoff a suflicient quantity of wire to form a new twist. The arms are thenreturned to place to receive the next picket as it is fed in. Thismotion is imparted as follows: Upon one end of the rock-shaft is acrank-arm h connected by a link 71 with a lever k fulcrumed on the mainframe and having its end engaged by a cam-grooved roll 7L6 on the maindriving-shaft. As this roll revolves, the groove imparts the necessaryoscillations to the lever to operate the rockshaft. Upon the oppositeend of the rockshaft h is also an arm 2', as in Fig. '7, carrying a pawli,whioh operates a ratchet-pinion i which drives the lower roller of thefeeding-table, and the rocking of the shaft h is thus made to feed thebelts and pickets down at regular intervals, and in time to be engagedand fed in by the pawl, as previously described.

\Vhen the pickets are to be of metal, the material of which they areformed is wound in one continuous length upon a reel, which is set up onthe feeding-table, or upon any desired point adjacent to the machine,and the end of the strip led in under the feedingpawl, which in itsforward movement pinches the material with sufficient force to feed itin properly and without slip. W'hen wood is used, the wire, when tightlytwisted, sinks into the fiber, and thus effectually prevents the picketfrom falling down when in place as a fence. This is not the case,however, with the metal picket, and I therefore form this latter withone or more sharp bends or corrugations, as at k in Fig. 11, at thepoints upon which the wire crosses it, and this effectually prevents thepicket from slipping out of the Wires, as will be evident. I form thesecorrugations as follows: Above the supporting table or beam h is a barIt, to which are secured a series of depending arms 10 on the ends ofwhich are a series of dies k of proper form to press the picket intosimilarly-shaped depressions k in the table. (See Fig. 9.) This bar iscarried upon suitable supports it sliding vertically in the main frameand connected at their lower ends to eccentrics 7.; on a shaft 15. Thisshaft is rocked in its bearings by an arm 77?, connected to a lever m,which is actuated-by the same camgroove 71. which operates the forkedarms h, but so placed as to be actuated by said camgroove before theaction of the forkedarms, as will be at once understood. The same bar Italso carries a V-shaped cutter m which on the descent of the bar cutsoff the length of material necessary to form a picket from the length ofmaterial drawn off the reel, and the form of cutter makes the point uponthe picket, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

From the foregoing the mode of operation of this machine is evident. Ifa wooden fence is to be made, the pickets are placed upon the inclinedtable and fed by the belts to the lower end of the table, where it isengaged by the pawl and sliding block and drawn into the machine toproper position, which movement is eifected by the rotation of the diskon the main driving-shaft and its connections with the feeding-pawl.During this time the twisters are held stationary by the travel of theroller on the lever cl in' one of the concentric parts of thecam-groove. This roller has at this time, however, arrived at theinclined or cam part of the groove, and this throws over the lever andthrough it moves the cogged rack and causes the twisters to twist thewires tightly upon the picket. The leverand its mechanism are then heldfirmlyby the other concentric part of the cam-groove, as shown. actingon its lever 71 causes the rocking of the shaft 71, and its forked--armscarry the picket forward and at once return to position to receive asecond picket. The formed fence is at the same time wound upon the reelprovided for that purpose, and the pawl and ratchet connecting therock-shaft with the feeding-belts operate these to feed the next picketdown when the feeding pawl can grasp it, and the operation is repeated,eX-

cept that in this next movement the twisters are operated in theopposite direction. This operation is the same for a metal picket,exccpt that the length of the material is first fed in from the roll onwhich itis held. Then the dies and cutter are depressed to form thecorrugations and sever the blank, then the wire is twisted, thecompleted fence fed off, and the operation is repeated.

No change of material character is needed to use either wood or metalpickets. The wood pickets are fed in upon the recessed supporting-table,and the operating-lever of the corrugatingdics simply detached to stopthe operation of this part of the machine, which is again set in motionwhen metal pickets are used.

I do not desire to confine myself to the exact construction hereindescribed for operating the various parts of the machine, but will makesuch changes in detail as are required by practice without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, whatl claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fence-machine, the combination, with an inclined feeding-table,of endless feeding-belts running over the face' of said table, guardsarranged over and parallel with the belts, and connections,substantially as described, between these belts and the fence formingdevices for intermittently feeding the pickets at proper intervals tothe bottom of the table, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. In a fence-machine, the combination, with a feeding-table providedwith a guideledge at its forward edge and a sliding block upon saidguide-ledge, provided with a pawl for engaging the picket, ofa disk uponthe main driving-shaft and a lever on the main frame connected at oneend to said disk and At this point the grooved roll 72.,

at the other to the feeding-block, substantially teeth and areciprocating toothed bar engaging said twisters, of a cam-grooved diskon the driving-shaft, a rock-lever engaged by said cam, and a secondrock-lever connected to the first and also to the rack-bar,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

at. In a fence-machine, the cam-disk 6, provided with a cam-groovehaving two concentric parts, one within the other, and two inclinedparts crossing each other, in.combination with the spring-gates placedat the crossing of the inclined grooves and lying normally one acrosseach groove and the rocking lever, a traveler mounted at one end thereofand in the grooves, and mechanism connecting the opposite end with thetwisters, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a fence-machine, the combination, with the twisting-table recessedon one side of a rock-shaft provided with forked arms lying in saidrecess, of a cam-grooved roll on the main shaft,a lever engaging thesame, and a link connecting this lever With-the rock-shaft, whereby theforked arms are caused to push forward the completed part of the fenceat regular intervals, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a fence-machine, the combination, with the twisting-table formedor provided with forming-dies on its upper side, of avertically-reciprocating bar provided with depending dies for indentingor corrugating the picket at suitable intervals to retain the Wires inplace, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a fence-machine, the combination, with the twisting-table providedwith a series of forming recesses and a bar reciprocating to and fromsaid table and provided with a series of dies for pressing the body'ofthe picket into the recessed table, and also with a V-shaped cutterforsevering the picket from a continuous strip of metal, of a rockshaftprovided with eccentrics connected to the die-carrier, a cam-groovedroll on the main shaft, a r0ck-lever engaging the same, and alinkconnecting this lever with the rock-shaft, substantially as and for thepurpose herein shown and described.

8. In a fence-machine, a reeling-shaft provided with a recessed head forengaging and holding the first picket and a removable spool adjacent tosaid head, having an opposite recess for receiving the opposite end ofthe picket, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination, in a wire-fence ma chine, with the table providedwith a series of slots, of a series of forked rock-arms projecting upthrough the slots, a rock-shaft. for supporting the series of arms, andmechanism for intermittingly operating the shaft,

substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

COURTLAND SKINNER.

Witnesses:

JUSTIN A. BRANDE, A. LINCOLN.

